Birth Of The Galaxy
by Dark MistressG
Summary: The Reapers are destroyed and Commander Shepard was found alive. But there is a whole new problem arising. Can Commander Shepard and some of her old crew manage to keep it contained? FemshepxKaidan OCxVega
1. The Recovery

_**Author's Note:**_ _Most of this book will be written in first person from Commander Shepard's point of view. This is a female Shepard novel. Some of the things that happen in this novel are my own personal choices that has happened throughout all three games. So, if it differs from your experience, I do apologize in advance._

* * *

The aftermath of the Reaper invasion on Earth was devastating, but Earth was saved as were many planets. All thanks to one Commander Shepard. The Alliance was busy trying to clean up their world, especially London, to try to build the pieces of their civilization back up. There were soldiers, and even some civilians, going through the rubble to find any survivors or find anything useful they could use. As the soldiers were busy scouring the area, a cough was heard distinctly around the beam that led the famous Commander up to the Citadel.

"Over here!" A soldier called out as he raced to the area of the sound.

In moments, a swarm of soldiers were around the area moving rubble to get to the sound. They were grunting with the effort of lifting heavy concrete and other materials off the person surrounded. Finally, with a great heave, they lifted the last bit of debris and were astounded.

"It's the Commander! Call a medical and evac team!"

* * *

I jerked awake. But it was suddenly a bad idea after that happened because everything hurt. It even hurt to blink. I struggled to comprehend what was going on as I looked around me. It seemed that I was in a hospital, but how is that possible… wasn't I just…-

"The Reapers!" I yelped, sitting up quickly. As soon as I did that I let out a sharp inhale of breath at the pain that shot through my body.

I felt something stirring on the bed beside me and I looked over to see Kaidan Alenko, the love of my life, resting with his head on the edge of my bed. He sat up slowly and his mouth dropped. He stood up quickly and moved over to me and grabbed my hand, causing me to wince, even that hurt. He didn't notice though, he just looked relieved and I could also see, joy.

"You're awake! Oh, Shepard, you're awake!" He said in an emotional voice.

I blinked, why wouldn't I be awake? Then it hit me. The Reapers were destroyed. _I_ killed them. It all came flooding back to me the minute I started to think about it. The Crucible… The Catalyst… The Intelligence. It all came back. The Catalyst gave me four choices, and I did the only one that could save everyone, destroying the Reapers. Finally, the battle I have been fighting for almost three years, was over. The struggle was done. I couldn't believe it. I laid back against my bed, and closed my eyes.

"How long was I out?" I asked calmly.

"You were out for almost two weeks. The doctors didn't know if you were going to wake up. Shepard… I was so… I was so scared that I was going to lose you… That I had… lost… you," He choked out. I opened my eyes and saw the tears forming in his eyes.

"Oh Kaidan…" I whispered as I reached out softly to put my hand over his instead. "I'm fine. I promised you I would come back, and I was determined to keep it."

"I know… but after what happened with the Collectors… I just didn't know if I could handle it…" He said.

I pulled Kaidan to me, internally groaning at the motion that made my body feel it was being torn apart by pliers. He wrapped his arms around me and the only indication that he was crying were when the hot tears dropped onto my face. I felt his lips on my forehead and he looked down at me, pulling away after a couple of minutes and sighing. I think he felt better after that and he took a step back. Every part of my body screamed at me for some more comfort, but I just sat there and looked at him.

"I should probably go get a doctor or something, so you can get your medical exam… It's what happened to me after Mars," he spoke softly. He turned on his heel and out the door on my right.

I closed my eyes, trying to relax but my body ached and hurt so much it was almost impossible. I was alive. And the Reapers were dead. The whole galaxy was saved and it was because of me. Normally I didn't think that way, it's never just because of me, it's because of everyone. But this time, this time I did do it. I felt such a satisfaction at being able to help the whole galaxy live. It. Was. Over. Maybe I could get some shore leave after I recover. I hadn't had a true shore leave in almost three years. Oh, I could just think about putting my feet up.

My thought process didn't last very long as the door was opened and in walked a Salarian Doctor to do my medical exam. Only, Kaidan didn't return with him.

"Okay, Commander, let's see how you're feeling…" The doctor said and it suddenly just became a blur.

* * *

"How much longer before I can get out of here, Admiral? I am itching to get out of this hospital," I said gruffly.

Admiral Hackett was visiting me in my room, in complete Regs. He laughed and shook his head, he knew I couldn't stand to be cooped up for long periods of time. It was good to see him. After losing Admiral Anderson it was nice to know there was still someone that had my back.

"Commander, you need to rest first, then you can get back out there in the real world. It will be there waiting for you until you're completely healed," he remarked with a chuckle. His eyes met mine and I saw something in there, it looked like desperation… But that couldn't be right. There shouldn't be, the threat was gone, wasn't it?

"Well, you're a soldier just like me, sir, so you know how I feel about all of this. There is so much bullshit I must go through. Like physical therapy. Who knew that walking again took so much effort?" I commented in a joking manner. Hackett looked away briefly and then back at me. Something was going on, I could feel it, I just didn't know what yet.

"Just get patched up and we'll put you back on duty. Just make it snappy, Commander, it's not right having you in here," He said finally. He saluted me, and I him before he headed to the sliding doors.

"Oh, one more thing, Commander, you're up for a promotion. Rear Admiral," he said.

"Rear Admiral? You just passed one whole rank, sir," I replied.

"Considering that you saved the galaxy and defeated The Reapers, I feel you're due it. Have a good day," He then stepped out of the doors and they slid shut behind him.

I laid back on the pillows that were on the bed and closed my eyes. Something was going on and Admiral Hackett wasn't telling me. I'm sure that once I was up and running he would tell me, but my guess is he wasn't because he wanted me to focus on getting better… Right. Better. If physical therapy and healing bruises were recovering, I was doing a bang up job of it… Literally a bang up job, because I was banged up. Hah, I made joke. God, must be these stupid meds I'm on.

* * *

The door to my room slid open and my eyes cracked open to see Liara and Glyph walking into my room. She was busy looking at her omni tool and Glyph, her ridiculous VI, was following her around like a lost puppy. I blinked a little, it was slightly funny to watch their spectacle.

"I need those documents to give to the council right away… I don't care how long it'll take, that's your priority from here on out… Are you really trying to talk back to me? Have you forgotten that my biotics could tear you apart in a single second? That's what I thought. Get to it," She said the last part harshly. I was still amazed at how much she had changed from being just a Prothean scientist. She had certainly become more deadly.

"Liara," I said in a greeting. She looked up sharply and seemed a bit surprised.

"Oh! Commander! I apologize, I thought you were sleeping when I walked in, if I woke you up, I am very sorry," she spoke hastily. I laughed.

"You could wake the dead, but that's not important. It's good to see you, Liara. How is everything? How is my crew?" I asked.

I hadn't seen Kaidan since that first day I woke up, so I was curious as to how he was doing. Everyone else had come and go. Tali, Garrus, Miranda, James, Jacob, even Kolyat came to visit. It was very comforting to know that my squad mates still cared, but the fact that Kaidan didn't come back worried me. He was a Spectre and a Major in the Alliance. They probably had him on some dangerous mission. Maybe that was why Admiral Hackett didn't want to tell me… It wasn't protocol to enter a relationship with one of your subordinates, especially one on your own crew. I still didn't know what was going on and it kind of aggravated me.

"Your crew is doing fine, Commander, or should I call you Rear Admiral now?" Glyph spoke in its electronic voice.

"Uh… Commander is fine for now, I haven't been promoted just yet," I answered. "But speaking of my crew, where is EDI? I haven't seen her come to visit me, or Joker for a matter of fact. They better not be in bed together instead of visiting me." I joked.

"Shepard, didn't you know?" Liara asked.

"Know what?"

"EDI… She's dead."

"What?! EDI… she's dead?!"

"Commander, when you destroyed The Reapers, all AI's were destroyed with it. That included the Geth, EDI and a few others. Joker said he couldn't handle seeing you right now," Glyph answered. "I was only spared because I am a simple VI. Good thing you didn't upgrade me yet, huh, Dr. T'Soni?"

"Glyph, quiet, sometimes you speak and reveal too much," Liara chastised her VI. "Shepard, I am so sorry. Joker will eventually come around. You didn't know that EDI would have been destroyed as well, you were just focused on taking out The Reapers. It isn't your fault."

"No, it is. It is all my fault, but thanks for trying," I said with a heavy heart.

EDI was gone… The Geth… All that effort that Legion and I did to help the Geth and I destroyed them anyways. I was no better than The Reapers. I took out synthetic life so easily. Was that really the answer? Now Joker was distraught without her. He loved her. I took away the one person, because EDI was a person, that he could really love. Guilt wracked my body, I didn't know how to handle it.

"Is that why Kaidan hasn't been back?" I asked.

"Kaidan? He's been here the whole time. Admiral Hackett has had him in a lot of meetings and it seems they're discussing something important. I could get information on it, Shepard, if you want. But I thought he would have been back by now," Liara said softly. "I can go get him for you, if you want to see him."

"No, don't bother Kaidan. He's busy with the Admiral." I desperately needed to change the subject. "What about the new council for the Citadel? Have they made any decisions regarding that yet?"

"Well Primarch Victus is a forerunner for the Turians. An Asari Matriarch by the name of Tillari has been voted in by my race. The Salarians are still in talks for their vote, no news on that yet. The humans have offered up your Admiral Hackett as the next council member from your race. It isn't a set thing with him yet, but they feel he has the most experience for it. Your mother, Hannah Shepard, will be promoted to his position once he takes the seat," Glyph spoke up.

Hm. My mom would be my direct commanding officer. That would be something interesting. Last I had heard she was promoted to Rear Admiral and was Hackett's right hand. She must have done something right if the ragtag Alliance Navy wanted her as an Admiral. My mind wandered to when I was going to get back into my active duty. I hated feeling useless. Everyone was out there fighting and fine but I was stuck here.

This was going to be a long recovery.


	2. My Ship

It was another solid two weeks before I was let out of the hospital to do anything that wasn't physical therapy or a doctor's visit. Admiral Hackett put me on strict shore leave until I was at 100%. I felt much better than what I did when I first awoke, and now that I was back on Earth I was almost devastated by how it looked. Granted I didn't grow up on Earth, I was always on a ship with my mom, but this was awful. I didn't even know where to start or who to help.

Even though Earth didn't look the same, it wasn't as bad as the day I fought The Reapers on Earth. Every species in the galaxy had come to help. Wrex was helping with a few other Krogan from his clan. They were doing some heavy lifting along with some help from the students at Grissom Academy. Their biotics helped to lift rubble and move things into places that others couldn't normally do. The teamwork astounded me and made me realize what I had really done during the war with The Reapers. I had united the entire galaxy. It was still working. I couldn't believe what I had just done.

As I walked along what used to be a road, deep in my thoughts, I heard my name called out. I looked up immediately and saw Liara. Next to her was Kaidan. I almost choked back tears. He was still around. He even looked shocked that I was there and I had to hold back the feeling of hurt when his face instantly masked it into a look of pure neutrality.

"Hey Liara, hey Kaidan," I said in a normal voice of greeting.

"Shepard." Was all Kaidan said to me. Even Liara looked a little surprised at his tone.

"So, what's up?" I asked. Liara gave Kaidan a look and he shook his head at her. I was a little confused at what was going on between the two of them.

"Just a routine sweep of the area. Looking at the wreckage, seeing what supplies will be needed," Liara said awkwardly. I could tell she was uncomfortable with lying. Because that was exactly what she was doing, lying. I didn't like being lied to, as many people have found out, but I would let it slide this once. For Liara. Kaidan on the other hand shouldn't be at all.

"I see. So just a routine sweep? That's it?" I pressed. First something with Admiral Hackett, now Kaidan and Liara. I knew something was going on with them. I just needed to find out what.

"Yep. Just routine, ma'am," Kaidan said in a typical soldierly way.

"Uh-huh," I said, unconvinced of what they were really doing.

"Well, I have to contact Asari High Command… I'll be right over there," Liara mumbled and walked off, already on her omni tool.

Kaidan had started to walk away from me and I quickly grabbed his sleeve. He was in civilian dress, not military. He wore a gray t-shirt and blue jeans. He looked at me and I could see he was a little startled that I grabbed him like that. If it weren't for the fact that he had been avoiding me, I would have loved to just kiss his lips. He looked so… sexy, dressed casually.

"Kaidan, what's going on with you? I haven't seen you in weeks…" I said in his ear. I didn't want everyone to know our business, especially that I was hurt that he hadn't been around.

"Been a little busy, Commander. Just doing what I can to help," He said, stiffly. I could see that he façade was being to crack a little bit.

"That's not it and you know it. You've been avoiding me. Tell me why, Kaidan." I was firm in what I said, leaving him no room to try and evade my question.

"Shepard, I can't. I'm so glad you're better, but I can't," He whispered out. He looked away from me and I could see it was paining him.

"Kaidan, I thought I meant something to you, but obviously not," I said harshly and released his sleeve. I turned away. "Goodbye, Major Alenko."

I started to walk away and suddenly I was spun around and pulled back to his body. His lips crashed down on top of mine and I felt his hand snake around my head and delve into my hair. My hands immediately went around his back as he kissed me. His tongue snaked in between my lips and I gasped in surprise at the heat of the kiss. We kissed for a few more minutes before he jerked away with a groan. I could tell he was a little shocked at his own actions.

"I had to do that again. Even if it was just one more time," He said raggedly.

"What do you mean, one more time?" I demanded. He looked away.

"I'm not supposed to tell you anything, Hackett's orders," He said harshly. His eyes met mine and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But I knew I couldn't keep it from you if I saw you, which is why I kept my distance. But I will tell you."

I waited patiently for him to tell me, but he didn't. He waited a few more minutes and he grabbed my hand, pulling me away from all the wreckage and people. He found what was left of a building and he pulled me behind the rubble.

"Off the record. Something is brewing out on Tuchanka. Salarians have landed, we aren't sure of what their mission is, but the Krogan are up in arms. That's not even the half of it. The Rachni are demanding territory in council space. They want room to grow, as are the Krogan. But the main worry we are having is we just lost the SSV London. No contact, nothing. The Alliance believe that it's either the Krogan or the Rachni in retaliation for no answer on the growth. My gut instinct says it's something else. Why else would Wrex and the Rachni be helping us if they just wanted to destroy one of our ships?

"Also, the Asari are upset that Thessia is lost. They believe that if they didn't help you, that they could have held the lines better. They're not exactly demanding but they are requesting funds and resources from us that we just don't have. The whole galaxy is in upheaval and nothing is going right. Everything might seem like it is, but it isn't. The Quarians are too busy trying to build their own world up that they are denying help to everyone else. It's a political shit storm, Jane," He finished with using my first name. Kaidan almost never used my first name.

"So, what's the catch?" I asked softly. "All of this stuff doesn't mean much for why you're avoiding me."

"That's just it… I must go on a mission to find out what's going on with the SSV London. They're sending me, Vega, Joker, and a couple others out on the SSV Normandy to go and investigate it."

"The Normandy…? That's my ship," I said indignantly.

"I know that Shepard, but considering you're still in recovery and the doctors haven't cleared you yet, Hackett didn't think it was safe to send you. So, he's sending me instead," Kaidan replied. "I don't know what's going on out there. They have sent two ships already to go find the SSV London and never got a response. They essentially went dark. I didn't want to tell you goodbye when I just got you back and may never see you again. That's why I didn't tell you."

"I'm going with."

"Shepard, you can't, we're leaving in a couple of hours and you can't go with us. The doctors haven't cleared you yet and you'll be defying Hackett's orders," Kaidan said firmly. I could see he was really struggling to make sure I was taken care of and recovering, but that wasn't happening. I was going.

"You can't stop me, Major, I am going to be a Rear Admiral soon," I answered. "I'm going to contact Garrus, Liara, Miranda, and Samara. They're still in the area. They'll be of some use on this mission. You said Vega was going, right? Good, he'll be of some use."

"Shepard, I'm serious you can't go! You'll hurt yourself," He practically was begging.

"Look, Kaidan, I am going where my ship goes and I'm going with _you_. I'm not going to just sit back while you take a highly dangerous mission where nothing is known. I'm going even if I must fight past a thousand doctors. When will you be leaving?"

"In about three hours. I was going to go home and pack a few things first, then hit up the Normandy."

"That's perfect. I still have all my stuff on the Normandy. It'll do me some good to get out of… these clothes…" I drifted off. I looked down at my clothes. I was in hospital wear. Pants and a shirt. I kind of forgot the back of my shirt was wide open but, nothing was showing.

"Shepard… Please don't do this," Kaidan said softly.

I looked at him. My eyes raked over his body and I leaned up on my toes and whispered in his ear. "I'm not leaving you again, Kaidan. You can count on me."

I pulled away and started heading to where the Alliance ships were docked.

* * *

After boarding my ship, I immediately headed to the Captain Quarters where I would be staying. It was like returning home. All my things were exactly where I had left them. I rushed to get out of the hospital garments and quickly pulled on my black Alliance uniform. It felt so much better to be able to just relax in my clothes on my ship. I looked at the console where EDI's voice used to come out. I halfway expected her voice to say something witty, but of course, it wasn't coming. I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I went to the elevator to go to the main level, to see Joker and tell him what I was doing on the ship. Joker was still avoiding me. He was still holding EDI's death as my fault, which it was. My footsteps seemed heavier than usual. I had to get this out of the way if I were going to work with Joker on this next mission. I hoped that he wouldn't be too hard.

As I approached the cockpit, the pit in my stomach getting bigger and bigger as I went, I noticed that Joker wasn't even there. Instead, there was a woman sitting in the pilot's chair. I blinked, this wasn't right, that was Joker's seat. When I got closer she turned the chair to face me and my mouth dropped. It was my cousin. Trixana.

Trixana looked almost nothing like me. Where I had red hair and bright green eyes, she had gorgeous bright blue eyes, an icy color, and gorgeous long auburn curls. She was around my height but her figure was more feminine than my own. She had fuller lips than me and her eyes were in an almond shape. She had higher cheekbones than my own. All in all, she was very pretty. I had known she was in the Alliance, but I didn't know what she was doing.

"Trixana, what are you doing here? Where's Joker?" I asked, very shocked.

She laughed.

"I am just doing some simple maintenance checks. Joker is in Starboard Observation, I believe," She answered. "I don't normally do these, but I was slightly bored. What are you doing here, Jane?"

"It's Commander Shepard while you're on my ship," I said harshly. Trixana was a good person, but it aggravated me that she was here. I was anticipating Joker, and I got her. "This is my ship, I don't need a reason to be here. But, I will tell you I am coming with you."

"Oh… But hey, I thought that hot guy, Kaidan, was going to be leading this mission," She said with an upbeat tone. I resisted the urge to punch her.

"Well you heard wrong," I said stiffly. I turned on my heel and headed back to the elevator to find my flight lieutenant.

"Good to see you again, Jane!" Trixana called out. I really wanted to punch the ever-living shit out of her. She didn't know how to maintain a professional tone. But she would learn quickly.

My anger quickly dissipated when I was standing in front of the door of the Starboard Observation. This is where I went to have a few drinks with Tali right after I had a mission with Miranda. This was where Kaidan and James played poker. Go figures Joker would be here.

Getting past my inner monologue, I stepped inside and saw Joker there, at the bar, drinking. He looked like hell. Joker always had some stubble, but he had almost a full beard now. His hair looked like it was so scraggly he could pass for a dog, and his uniform looked like it hadn't been washed in a week. Speaking of washing, it looked like he hadn't been bathed since before the Reaper War. He looked awful.

I didn't know what to say. But hearing the door swish open he turned and fully looked at me. I saw the recognition and shock in his eyes, then the disgust. I knew I was the cause of such disgust.

"Commander. The Commander. Defeated the Reapers, eh? Wiped out all synthetic life, eh?" He said sarcastically. I winced. "Oh, don't worry, not like anyone needed those synthetics. Like the Geth. Or EDI even."

"Joker, I'm sorry about EDI. I really am. I didn't know she would be wiped out too," I apologized. I didn't know how to tell him how awful I felt. This was really tearing me up on the inside.

"Oh, don't worry. Not like I loved her or anything. Not like she was the first person _to_ love me back," he said. I sighed.

"Joker, I get that you're mad and pissed, but I couldn't take any other options. The Reapers had to be taken down and you know that. I did the best I could, and you know that. Get yourself together. Would EDI want you being like this? No, she wouldn't. She would want you to move on and continue to be your usual funny 'Joker' self. This isn't you. So, finish that last drink, go get a shower, and get in the cockpit," I said firmly. Joker looked at me and he seemed slightly resigned after I finished. I think I saw some of that fight in him leave.

"I know you did your best, Commander, it's just… I hate she's gone…" He trailed off and tipped his shot of liquor back. "But you're right… It's been weeks… I need to get a hold of myself and keep living. For her."

He pushed himself up from the bar and looked at me. He nodded and ambled out, slowly and carefully, if not a little clumsily. He turned once and said, "Thanks." The door slid shut behind him and I slid down in a chair.

* * *

As I was about to take a shot, the door hissed opened and in walked Kaidan, Vega right behind him. I looked over and popped the Ryncol back into my mouth. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and slammed the shot glass face down on the bar. I stood up and walked to my Major and my Lieutenant.

"Vega, good to see you again."

"Commander Shepard, it's great to see you too. Didn't think you'd be coming with us," James answered.

"Change of plans. I felt the Commander would be a… great asset to our crew," Kaidan asserted before I could answer. In public, in front of others, he always knew what to say. He would do great in front of a camera.

"Well it's good to have you back. You know we'll get this done with you here," Vega said and patted me hard on the arm. It still hurt, but I could conceal the pain on my face. My body still wasn't a hundred percent but I was damned if they were going to take my ship and take Kaidan without me. That wasn't happening.

"Thank-you, Lieutenant. I would like to talk to the Commander for a minute alone, if you don't mind," Kaidan said swiftly. Vega shrugged and walked out, the door hissing behind him and Kaidan turned on me.

He approached me slowly and cupped my face in his hands. He looked deep into my eyes, his hazel into my green ones. He kissed my lips softly and my hands covered his. He then just pulled me into his arms and he sighed. His head rested on the top of mine and his body was pressed up against mine. I felt my whole-body light up, like his touch just set it on fire. He sent shivers down my back when his fingers traced circles along my arm.

"Jane, I can't and won't, lose you. I love you," He whispered out.

"I love you, Kaidan," I answered.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Starting next chapter I will do some POVs from other characters point of views. To give more insight as to their mind frame. I know it's starting a little slow, but I need some background of the recovery to give more later. Don't worry, everything will fall into place. Thanks, guys! Reviews and thoughts are welcome!_


	3. New World

**Shepard's POV**

We were on the way to the location of the SSV London. The planet we were heading to was Xawin, in the Horsehead Nebula. It was the last known place for the SSV London to be in and we were going to find out what happened to it. The commander of the SSV London was a very capable officer, so whatever happened had to be severe, especially if the Alliance lost two more ships trying to find out what happened. I personally hoped it was mercenaries that just got lucky. The likelihood that that happened, was slim to none.

"Commander, we're closing in on the SSV London's location." Joker's voice came through the intercom. I was sitting at my desk in my room looking over the data pads about the post Reaper War.

"I'll be down in a minute, Joker," I answered.

"Oh, and Commander, Admiral Hackett is on Vid Comm for you… again," Joker said.

"Thank-you, Joker, I'll go see to it." This was the ass chewing I was waiting on for going on this mission without his approval. And this was the second time he called… I should answer it this time.

I pushed myself up and headed to the War Room where the beat down was about to occur. I went and pushed the flashing button that signaled that I had a video message and up flashed Admiral Hackett's body. I put my hands on the railing and leaned forward a bit.

"Commander Shepard, please tell me you're not on the Normandy and you're in your hospital bed like I told you. You weren't even supposed to know about this mission," He said angrily. I sighed.

"Admiral, I understand what your orders were, but it was my decision to go. I felt like I was needed here more than I was needed in a damn hospital bed," I answered.

"That's not your call. That is mine. You know better than to defy my orders. Do you want to get Court Martialed again?! Commander, you better hope that Alliance Command won't take badly to this."

"That's what I'm counting on you for, sir. To keep them off my back. You and I both know I am needed here, that's why you haven't served me my court martial yet. You know this is where I need to be. With my crew and my ship," I pushed myself up off the railing. "I will find out what happened to our ships, Admiral. You can count on it."

"I am banking on you Commander, don't let me down. Hackett out."

The Vid Comm went dead and I let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse too. I sighed and turned on my heel and started towards the cockpit. I knew that Joker would have us to the planet in no time and I had to see what was left of our ships before we decided to dock.

As I stood behind Joker the picture from below came up on the screen to the side of me. There were a bunch of trees, almost like a rainforest effect. They were so knotted and gnarled it was going to be difficult to see where the ships were. There were patches of water here and there but other than that I couldn't see anything. I sighed and crossed my arms.

"Joker, get Cortez in the shuttle, I'll be taking Kaidan and Garrus with me. Let them know to get their armor ready. I'll be down momentarily," I told Joker.

He nodded in affirmation and I turned and strode to get my armor on. Here we go.

* * *

It took Cortez a while to find a place for us to land, and even then, we were miles away from the actual crash site. I ready my pistol, the M-11 Suppressor I picked up from when I got ambushed on the Citadel, and signal my team to move forward with me. As we start walking, Garrus and Kaidan start an idle chatter with each other. They were always vigilant as usual, but the sound of their chatter was a little comforting. It was just like the old days.

The area around us was filled with underbrush. Bushes and moss covered the whole area. Every time we took a step there was a squishing noise from the amount of moss. The trees were massive, even larger than what the video showed me. You could hear noises of the alien creatures in the area. Creatures that, if we didn't defeat The Reapers, would have been the next ones to be culled after us. As we walked, I couldn't shake the feeling like we were being watched. Our sensors didn't pick up any enemies in the area, but I couldn't get the feeling to stop.

I pushed a huge leaf out of my way and as soon as I did a blinding light hit my eyes. I put my hand up to block the sunlight and suddenly I was knocked off my feet, flying backwards. I landed roughly on the ground and I heard a creature snarling above me. I could now finally see it and it looked like a lion, but not quite.

It had six eyes, bright red ones, that blinked sideways (think of the Salarians) and it had four rows of sharp tiny teeth in its mouth. It seemed to have whiskers, but it looked like tiny tails coming from its snout. The creature had six legs, that were massive, almost the size of my torso. Two tails were coming out of its back side. This creature was huge, almost about six feet tall and around six feet wide. I blinked and it snarled again. The color of this creature was a pale purple with spots. Its spots were a bluish tint.

I tried to push away but it pushed its gargantuan paw against my throat and leaned in closely to snarl. I was struggling to breathe at this point. I heard Kaidan and Garrus shouting curse words and I heard shots. They seemed to bounce off the hide of this creature with ease. It turned its head and snarled at them, relaxing the pressure on my body slightly by the motion. Because of this, I was able to lift my hand and I could feel myself harnessing my biotic power. I lashed out with a blast of Warp and the creature was knocked back. I coughed as I could finally breathe and I sat up quickly.

The creature was already on its feet and was circling us.

"Bullets won't work. Biotics do," I said harshly. I knew that they could see that, but it felt good to have that say. Then something sent chills up my spine, another snarl that didn't come from this creature, echoed to my right. Another creature stepped out. Very similar to the other one, but the coloring was different. Muted hues of browns and gray were on this one.

"Great, this thing has friends," Garrus quipped. My lips were set in a grim line. Oh, this was going to be fun, wasn't it?

As the first one launched itself at me I immediately was ready with a lift. I threw my arm out and the biotic power shot out of my arm. Its blue aura encircled the creature and it was lifted and thrown to the side. I heard its cry of pain as it hit a large tree. The second one charged at Kaidan and I heard him shout out as he reacted a little too late. It opened its maw and crunched down onto Kaidan's right arm. I heard the bone crinkle under the pressure, his arm was broken.

Garrus threw a concussive shot at the creature and it was flown backwards, releasing Kaidan's arm from its mouth. I heard Kaidan cry out and blood started pouring out of the bite wounds. Both creatures were soon on their feet, both attacks only stunned them momentarily and they were circling us again. Damn, I didn't know how we would defeat these things.

"They won't fucking stay down!" I yelled. My eyes drifted to Kaidan, he was struggling to keep his gun upright and his breathing was labored. He was injured.

"Biotics seem to do the trick though. Guess we'll just have to use that," Kaidan panted. I saw Garrus' eyes tighten. He didn't use biotics.

At that moment, both creatures came at us again. I saw Kaidan use a warp to push it back a little while I used a singularity to lift the brown one up, so that it wouldn't be able to touch the ground again. I heard its snarls and then in the distance were snarls answering back. My eyes widened. How many of these things were there?!

"Radio the Normandy, we need backup!" I called out. "Go back! Go back!"

* * *

 **James Vega's POV**

"We need help down here! Somethings attacking us, some native creature!" I heard Shepard's voice echoing into the Normandy's cockpit. Joker looked up at me and I nodded.

"Let Lola know I'm grabbing Liara and that new girl," I said to Joker and I took off running to go get my armor.

Joker already radioed Shepard back to let her know we were coming. Then he called both Liara and the new Soldier into the shuttle. Cortez had brought the shuttle back to pick them up and then quickly dropped them back to where he had dropped Shepard and her squad. As soon as he dropped us down, he took off again and we started to where the fighting was. We had an updated Nav Point so we quickly ran in that direction. As we neared, it was turning into a massacre.

Shepard had multiple scratches on her body and bite marks on her legs. Kaidan was knocked out, laying back against a tree, presumably knocked aside and hit the tree. Garrus had bluish blood all over him. He was the worst of the two. He had puncture wounds on his neck and arms. His face had scratch mark that went on for about 5 inches. He was barely standing. Shepard was struggling to keep firing off biotics to keep the beasts away. There were four of them now.

Shit, what did Shepard get into?! Luckily for all of us I brought a Grenade Launcher, but I only had three rounds.

"Shepard, Garrus, get down!" I shouted. I had Liara throw a warp at one of the monsters and the new girl fired off a pull on another just as it was about to pounce on Garrus.

Both Garrus and Shepard ducked and I pulled out a large Grenade Launcher. I had Liara and the new soldier firing off biotics as quickly as their bodies would allow, and I finally fired two quick shots. The loud booming filled the air and large amounts of dust rose from the ground. It was silent for a moment and we waited for the area to clear. As soon as the dust cleared, there was only two left. The other two were lying on the ground, their bodies mangled and pouring out purplish blood. The remaining made a soft noise and darted into the woods. Good thing, I only had one shot left.

"Jane, are you okay?" The new soldier pushed forward and went to Shepard. Jane? She called Lola Jane? That was kind of informal, even for me.

"Get Kaidan, and Garrus… They're worse than me," She gasped out.

I saw Liara moving to Garrus and I went to help Kaidan. I lifted Kaidan easy and slung him over my back. Liara helped Garrus stand while the new girl offered Shepard a shoulder. This was rough. Whatever those things were, they destroyed through Shepard's barriers and seemed to give them a hell of a fight. The new soldier finally removed her helmet and I blinked, stunned. The new soldier was so gorgeous, it seemed unfair.

"Jane, we need to get you guys patched up. On the Normandy," The red head said.

"Trixana, I have to go on. Give me some Medi-gel and take those two back. Doctor Chakwas can patch them up. I must finish this," Shepard said with determination. I heard the new girl sigh and she pulled out her omni tool and applied the Medi-gel.

"You're gonna get yourself killed," she said with a slight southern twang. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

"Joker, get Cortez down here to get Kaidan and Garrus. Make sure Doctor Chakwas is ready for them when they get on the Normandy. Also, tell Miranda I'll need her on the ground team. We're going to take a bigger team than normal," Shepard said in her radio. Joker confirmed what she said and Liara applied Medi-gel to Garrus while it happened.

When we got them back to the site where Cortez dropped us all off, Miranda hopped off the shuttle and helped to get the two wounded inside the shuttle. Once that was taken care of, Shepard started divvying up teams. There were going to be two teams. Me and the new soldier would be a lead team, and Shepard and the rest would be the follow team. Two were more silent and able to scout ahead a lot better than three. Also, should there be trouble, the three could bring up the rear and help the frontal team.

As we started off, I cast a long look back at the soldier next to me. Shepard had called her Trixana while she made the teams. She had biotics but she wasn't an Adept. Probably a vanguard or a sentinel. Her rank on her armor showed that she was a Lieutenant, just like me. Hm. Interesting. I wonder why I had never met her before. I also wondered how she knew Shepard so well as to speak her first name so casually.

While we were going through the jungle we were careful, and very quiet. Those creatures would be out there and who knows what else was out there. If those creatures were bullet proof, there has to be something else out here that was worse. But if those creatures were what got the original crew… At least there would be something left of them.

We kept weaving in and out of the trees, me and the other Lieutenant were moving as quickly as we could. When I stumbled across something. I looked down and it was a piece of metal. It looked silver and green, almost like Palladium. What ships shielding are made from. I blinked and bent to pick it up. It was about six inches long about eight inches wide. A ship shield, for sure. I called Trixana over and I showed her the ship.

"It looks like a shield," She said and turned the metal over in her hand. On the other side was an N in bold black colors.

"Or plating," I said back. I fired up my radio. "Shepard, we found a piece of the ship, we have to be close."

"Good job, LT. Keep going and see what you find," was Shepard's reply.

Trixana moved ahead of me and I followed quickly behind. There was some heavy brush up ahead, lots of greens and browns intertangled. The trees were barely letting in any sunlight. But as we forward more, the light got brighter, and suddenly we were standing in a clearing. Not just any clearing though, a ship wreck. The ship was mostly intact. Pieces of the ship were broken off, probably from hitting the large trees as it went down.

The new LT radioed Shepard to tell her we found the wreckage site. Shepard said she would be there shortly with the others. I moved to the entrance door. It was barely hanging on its hinges. Scratches were wrought along the door, and it seemed like the door had bullet holes in it. I pushed it aside and it easily just fell into the ship. I stepped through and I heard Trixana right behind me.

The ship was silent, and dark. I blinked and turned my flashlight on my assault rifle. The whole ship was wrecked. It wasn't from just the crash; bullet holes were everywhere and there were signs of a struggle too. I kept pushing forward and saw the place empty. There were no signs of life. It seemed like there was a fight and signs of a struggle, but no one was here. Not even a tear of clothing was around. There were a few blood stains, but nothing major. I blinked. It was almost like the crew just disappeared. But what would take them and not leave any trace of them behind?

"It's almost like… no one is here," Trixana said softly. Her fingers were trailing along the siding of the ship. "It's so eerie…"

"Yeah, it is…" I answered. I blinked and heard a creak. I turned sharply, nothing was there. Then another sharp noise on the ship. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah… But there's no one here…"

Then footfalls were heard, sharp and staccato. I heard Trixana yell out and a few shots went off from her gun before I could turn. Then I had a sharp blow to the head and all was black.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Okay, a little abrupt ending. I'll probably modify it later. But, this is a good thing. We are getting to the cause. Please review and give thoughts. Thanks!_


End file.
